Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-03-01

not wholly ailay the halt suspicion Of
something wrong which had settled upon
peoples mi, DIS. The miserable life the
family led was notorious. The suspicion
| grew as the days went OF and still no
tldIngs oil Druse came, and At last the
demand for more information as
to his whereabouts became clamor-
Gus and so stern that Mrs.
Druse went to RIchfield Springs
ard telegraphed to her brother, Anon l..
Tetft, who lived in New York at the time,
and at whose house she said her husband
was staying, telling Taft 10 come at once,
as their sister, Mrs. CAFES, was very i'll,
and to bring "Bilt," her husband, with
him. This quieted things tor the time be-
ing. but after three or four DAYS bad
elapsed, and there was still no news of
Druse, The inquiry took sternsr and more
definite shape. Impetus was given to it
by the accidental discovery near Little
Lakes, short distance away. OF new
ak, which was identified as having re-
Gently belonged to William DrusA, who
had bought it at Buchahan's hardware
store, In Richteld Springs. There were
stains on the ak which proved to be blood
stains.
A meeting OF farmers of the neighbor-
hood was held in the little town OF Little
Lakes, and Justice of the Peace Daniel
Mcdonald and Clarence Marshall set out
to make thorough Investigation. They
did their WORK gu ckly and we'll. they
went first OF ali to Frank, the youngest OF
the Gates hoys. They knew that be was
much at the Druse house, and was more
likely to talk Of anything he knew than
was his older brother, Chester. In
the barn on bis fathers premises
Frank was kindly but firmly ques-
toned. and told story 80 CHASTITY that
his hearers could hardly give 1t credence.
He had staid away from school. he SAID.
to play with George Druse, and he went
to the Druse house and remained all
night, sleeping with George. He Frank
IVES The first one to get up IN the morning.
aud he lighted the fire in the kitchen
stove. Druse then got up and came into
the kitchen IN his usual nasty temper,
and grumbled because there was not
warmer fire. He then went muttering off
TO the barn to do the "chores." When
Druse came back from the barn Mary
Druse and her mother mad come into the
kitchen. Druse at once commenced abus-
ing them. taking as his text the size of
grocer's bill which had been aug
mented by his own purchases of to-
bacco. Over this, and over a threshine
board which had been cut up, he stormed
and swOre like mailman. Druse at last
sat down to his breakfast stIll swearing
and the quarrel still raging furlously, his
During the height of the battle OF words,
Frank says, Mrs. Druse whispered to him
and to George DruSe to 90 outdoors. They
dill so, and few minutes later heard
pistol shot. They started TO go into the
h0nse, and as they reached the door Mrs.
Druse, in state of great agitation, flung
it wide open. she held a pistol in her
hand, which she showed at Frank Gates,
saying:
n i'm. 7 Iyo ho pfctn
off. Shoot him, or l will shoot YOU"
Farmer Druse was then sitting in an
obscure corner of the room, on chair.
Blood was flowing from a wound in his
neck, and about his neck there was also
rope tightly drawn, to the end of which
Mary, Druse's daughter, was holding with
all her strength, Druse was ST. juggling
feebly. Frank took the pistol from Mrs
Druse and fired it at Druse until it was
empty. Mary then took the pistol and
tried TO reload it, but cartridge exploded
and narrowly escaped wounding her.
Druse, when his daughter let 20 OF the
rope, fell to the floor with his head to-
ward the hearth. He was still living and
conscious. His wife seemed to be In
state 0firenzy, with all the concentrated
nate gathered from years OF abuse fully
let loose. AS her husband fell she seized
an AK and raised 1t aloit. Dfuse, lying on
the floor, saw her and fully realized her
intention, for be moaned out feebly:
Don't, Roxy. DON'T"
Mrs. Druse nit him sickening blow on
the head with the ak. IL killed him as he
Law. She then backed away at the dead
mans neck with the dull-edged AK until
tue head was severed from tue body.
During all this both Mrs. Druse and her
dauLhte seemed to be more like maniacs
or demons than sane women, Yet ere
was no lack OF deliberate calculation in
their actions. AS soon AS Mrs. Druse had
severed her husbands head from the
body she wrapped II in newspaper and
carried it into the parlor. Then she
put newspapers up at the
parlor windows, and sent the
boys upstairs after an old mat
tress. On this she placed her husbands
headless body and dragged it into the par
Tor, and sent the boys to the brush for the
new ak, the one which WAS subsequently,
found near Little Lakes. Then sne told
the boys to 90 out and get wood and
shingles. and with these roaring fires
were made in both stoves, and on the
kitchen stove was placed a boiler full of
water. Mary and her mother were shut
up In the parlor with the dead mans re-
mains for several hours, and the BOYS
were set to work cleaning
up the blood stains. 1t was
after dark before the work OF
burning uu the remains was completed
aud the fires were allowed to 10 down.
The next day the ashes from the stoves
were taken up and put into box and a
bag, which we're placed in a cutter.
Frank Yates, Mrs. Druse and her daugn-
Ter, Mary, got into the cutter and drove
TO a swamp, where Frank, At Mrs. Druse's
direction, nd the DoX and the bag in a
spot which Frank indicated to his ques-
TONERS, and where they were subsequent
Nv found. From the swamp Frank said
that be and Mrs. Druse aud Mary drove
to his (Frank's) own home.
This story of the tragedy was in all its
substantial points confirmed by subse.
quent Investigations. The entire Druse
family were arrested, as were Frank
Gales. his father, Charles Gates, and the
young man, William Elwood. Elwood
aud Charles Gates at the preliminary ex-
animation proved satisfactorily that dur
Ing all the day Of tue tragedy they were
engaged In ch0ppIng wood AT long dis
lance from the Druse house. They were
released. The public Indignation against
the Druse women was an great that there
was grave danger OF their being lynched,
and they were removed to the Berkimer
Jail "a quickly as possible.
At the trial Of Mrs. Druse, who was de.
Tended by II. ID. Luce ana Judge Prescott,
the daughter and the boy George testified
III their mothers behalf, and the daughte
swore that her father had attacked her